Evicted Depok people occupy House compound

JAKARTA (JP): More than 70 residents of Pancoran Mas, Depok, who were recently expelled after occupying the National Commission on Human Rights office, took up position Saturday at the House of Representatives compound.

One of the senior residents, Jacobus Marpaung, said yesterday they recently moved from the commission office on Jl. Latuharhari in Central Jakarta to a building belonging to the Bogor Regency in Cibinong.

After several hours at the building, the residents -- including women and children -- were transferred to a building in Bekasi because the Bogor Regency could not find suitable shelter for them.

The residents later learned the building was used for rehabilitating prostitutes, said Marpaung.

"We did not want to stay at the building because we are not prostitutes and later we decided to move to this compound," he said.

The residents said they would continue to occupy the House of Representatives compound until their demands could be met by Bogor and Depok authorities.

Marpaung said they would ask to meet House members today, seeking legislators' help to solve their problems.

On April 17, the Bogor regency and Depok mayoralty bulldozed the residents' 700 shanty houses built on 19 hectares of land belonging to the Ministry of Health.

The residents, who have occupied the land since 1975, demanded the Bogor regency provide compensation and temporary shelter for them.

The residents, mostly from North Sumatra, have written about their plight to the Bogor regency, the Depok mayoralty, the Ministry of Home Affairs and President Soeharto.

The residents have not yet received any satisfying response.

The residents occupied the commission office for five months until a police colonel ordered them to leave the site, saying the office was not a shelter for evicted people.

"Now, I agree the human rights body should be shut down because it could do nothing for us," he said, referring to a proposal for the closure of the body.

As of yesterday, residents were seen sitting in the grounds of the House. Some were also seen drying their clothes. (jun)